Nashville Song “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” By Patty Loveless

On Nashville, Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten) sits at the bedside of his dying sister Beverly O’Connor (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson). Overwhelmed with guilt, Deacon wants to keep Beverly on life support but it’s up to Beverly’s daughter Scarlett (Clare Bowen) to make that painful decision. The title of the episode is “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye.”

[‘Nashville’ — Brain-Dead Beverly Torments Scarlett One More Time]

The song “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” was first performed by Patty Loveless. It was on her 1993 album, Only What I Feel. (See video below.) The song mentions three major losses in the singer’s life — losing a friend as a young girl, separating from her husband as an adult, and coping with the death of her mother. “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1995 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.

The refrain of the song is:

And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye
It’s OK to hurt, and it’s OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye